Are you noticing a low water pressure in kitchen faucet? Is your best kitchen faucet you recently bought showing functionality that is below par? The experience can be really irritating especially when you are in a hurry.
You want to clean your utensils fast and attend other activities but this is not possible because you don’t want to leave dirty dishes behind. Low water pressure in kitchen faucet is a common plumbing fixture issue.
Sometimes, the issue of low water pressure in kitchen faucet might be caused by interruptions outside your house such as the local municipalities.
But you have to inspect whether the issue is within your reach and how the water pressure problem can be solved. For instance, low water pressure in kitchen faucet might be due to a clogged cartridge or aerator.
You need to determine the exact problem to enable your troubleshooting efforts. Sometimes, you might think that the work is beyond your comprehension and you require a professional plumber. But this is not always the case because I can provide you with a straightforward procedure to help you get the work done.
Tools And Materials For This DIY Project
- Vinegar
- Water
- Bucket
- Allen Wrench
- Screwdriver
- Towel
- Tray
- Old toothbrush
- Pipe wrench
- Faucet cartridge puller
- Slip-joint pliers
- Plastic tape
Step-By-Step Process To Solve Low Water Pressure In Kitchen Faucet
- You have to start by identifying the source of low water pressure in kitchen faucet. Is the problem persistent in your home?
- Recently, you might have added more taps to your entire house but without changing the size of the main water pipe. Probably, this is the cause of the low pressure in your kitchen faucet.
- In case the other places in your house except the kitchen are having a standard water flow rate, your kitchen faucet could be affected by debris and clogs.
- At the end of the kitchen faucet spout, there is a screen that you need to pull out. Use your hands to remove any kind of blockage at this end of the faucet aerator. Make sure that you remove all the sediments around this area and thoroughly clean it.
- Using your hands, unscrew the aerator’s body and remove it. In case you find this impossible, use a pair of pliers to remove it. Rinse and thoroughly clean all the aerator parts and place them on a towel.
- Disassemble all the aerator components and arrange them in a recognizable pattern on the towel. Use an old toothbrush to clean all these parts including the mixer, flow restrictor, sleeve, bushing, and washer. If the debris doesn’t come out with ease, soak the components in a tray filled with vinegar.
- Once the cleaning process of the faucet aerator is complete, reassemble its components and re-install the aerator back in the faucet system. You can test whether the pressure has been restored. If the low water pressure in kitchen faucet issue is yet unresolved, you can try to work on the cartridge.
- Probably, the faucet cartridge is malfunctioning and you need to replace it. How can you replace a kitchen faucet cartridge?
- Make sure that you turn off the main water valve to block the water flow from the supply lines.
- Turn the faucet handles on to allow any water in the supply line to drop out along with the pressure build-up.
- Do you have a kitchen sink stopper? Slot it in its position to prevent the loss of fine faucet components.
- Use a screwdriver to pry off the cap that hides the faucet’s head screw. Use an Allen wrench to unscrew the screw and pull out the faucet handle.
- Remove the retainer nut that holds the faucet cartridge in place. You will require a slip-joint plier in this case.
- Under the faucet spout, you can see a screw. You need to remove the screw to enable you to pull out the faucet head.
- After this, remove the thin housing to enable you to pull out the faucet cartridge.
- If you find it challenging to pull out the cartridge, use a faucet cartridge puller. Soak all the cartridge components in a tray filled with a mixture of water and vinegar.
- Clean all the cartridge components until everything is clean. Dry them and start the re-installation process.
- Reassemble all the faucet parts and tighten where necessary. Turn on the water supply and check whether there is any further issue.
- If the low water pressure in kitchen faucet is still unresolved, work on the supply lines. There might be a problem in the water supply line leading into the faucet.
- Use a pipe wrench to unscrew from the pipe’s basement to help remove the sediments and debris.
- Put an empty bucket in place and allow the water to flow from the main meter. Check whether there is any low water pressure issue at this point.
- If the piece of the pipe you removed is good and just needed unclogging, re-install it and tighten the connection.
Conclusion
In brief, a number of factors can contribute to low water pressure in kitchen faucet issue. If a faucet cartridge is not working well, you will need to remove and wash it or replace it with a new one. The same is the case for a faucet aerator. As you have found out, it is quite easy to resolve the low water pressure in kitchen faucet problem. I hope this guide has been helpful to you. If you like this post, share it with your friends.